January 16
1800s *1878 - Benjamin Douglas is hired as manager of the Providence Grays and Tom Carey is signed as team captain. *1885 - The Brooklyn Grays signs several players from the defunct Cleveland Blues club, inking Pete Hotaling, Bill Phillips, John Harkins, George Pinkney, Germany Smith, and Bill Krieg. *1886 The Washington Nationals club is admitted to the National League, bringing the league membership to seven teams. *1890 - Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, and three other labor leaders pledge support for the Players League at a league meeting in Philadelphia. *1891 A new national agreement is signed by the National League, American Association and the Western Association creating a three-man panel to settle problems among the leagues. 1900s-1950s *1905 - It seems simple enough on paper: the Boston Red Sox buy outfielder George Stone from the Washington Senators; the St. Louis Browns reclaim Frank Huelsman from Washington, where he had been on loan, and send him along with Jesse Burkett to Boston for Stone. Boston then sends Huelsman back to Washington in payment for Stone. This is Huelsman's fourth trade in eight months and his playing for four American League teams in one season will not be matched until Paul Lehner does it in 1951. *1910 - Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean is born in Lucas, Arkansas. Dean will make his debut in 1930 with the St. Louis Cardinals and will win 150 games over a 12-year career with the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Browns. *1917 - The Cubs send Jimmy Lavender and $5,000 to the Phillies for Al Demaree, who will send to the Giants in July. *1952 - The U.S. Standardization Board clears the way for Stan Musial to get a salary increase to $85,000. Prior to this relaxation of the rules, there was a wage freeze in effect due to the Korean War. Under the new rules, a team is free to raise individual salaries, as long as they do not exceed a complicated formula, based on total team salaries for any one year, from 1946-1950, plus 10 percent. 1960s-1970s *1960 - In a benefit basketball game in Pittsburgh, the Steelers football club edge the Pirates baseball team in overtime, 22–20. Shortstop Dick Groat, a Duke University hoop standout, scores 14 points for the Pirates. *1964 - American League owners vote down Charlie Finley’s proposed move of the Kansas City Athletics to Louisville, Kentucky. The owners, who vote 9-1 against the proposal, also tell Finley to sign a lease with Kansas City or surrender the franchise. *1970 - Gold Glove outfielder Curt Flood files a lawsuit challenging the reserve clause, which binds major league players to teams perpetually. Flood had been traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies in September 1969, but refused to report to the Phillies. Flood contends that the reserve clause violates antitrust laws. Flood will lose the suit but the judge will suggest changes to the reserve system. *1974 - The Baseball Writers Association of America selects former New York Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford to the Hall of Fame. Mantle becomes only the seventh player to make it in his first try. His 536 home runs with the Yankees ranked second only to Babe Ruth and he played in more games (2,401) than any other pinstriper, including Lou Gehrig. Ford was arguably the greatest Yankees pitcher of all time, retiring with more wins (236), more innings pitched (3,171), more strikeouts (1,956), and more shutouts (45) than anyone in club history. 1980s-1990s *1986 - The Minnesota Twins trade Tim Teufel and a minor leaguer to the New York Mets in exchange for Billy Beane, Bill Latham, and Joe Klink. Minnesota also trade Dave Engle to the Tigers for Chris Pittaro and Alex Sánchez. Teufel will platoon with Wally Backman during the Mets’ 1986 championship run. *1996: **MLB executive council approves a history-making first: interleague play for the 1997 season. The Players Association will eventually give its approval, enabling geographic rivals like the New York Mets and Yankees, Chicago Cubs and White Sox, and Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers to play each other during the regular season. **The San Francisco Giants signed much acclaimed amateur free agent Osvaldo Fernández. The Cuban National squad’s All-Star pitcher, who defected as his club played Team USA in Tennessee, will post a disappointing 10-17 record during two seasons with the Giants. 2000s *2001: ** Outfielders Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett are elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. The former Minnesota Twins are the fourth pair of teammates selected by BBWAA in the same year. **Free agent José Canseco agrees to terms with the Anaheim Angels. The incentive-laden contract ranging from $200,000 to as much as $5 million will be based on plate appearances as a designated hitter. *2002 - Two free agents agrees to terms on contracts, pitcher Pedro Astacio with the New York Mets, and second baseman Eric Young with the Milwaukee Brewers. *2003: **The owners establish the minimum age of 14 for bat boys. The change from not having any age requirement was prompted by a near collision at home plate during Game Five of the World Series involving 4-year old bat boy Darren Baker, the son of Giants manager Dusty Baker. **Gary Carter becomes the first player, to wear a Montréal Expos hat on his plaque when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame in July at Cooperstown. Although the former Montreal catcher had expressed his desire to go in with a Mets logo, the team he is employed by and was part of its 1986 World Series championship, the Hall of Fame makes the final decision. **Trying to restore a competitive edge to the MLB All-Star Game, the owners unanimously approved the winning league of the Mid-Summer classic will have home-field advantage during the World Series. Approval is needed by the players to change the current rotation between the two leagues which was put in place since its inception of the World Series in 1993. *2006 - The Cincinnati Reds agreed to one-year contracts with outfielder Wily Mo Peña and catcher Javier Valentín, avoiding arbitration with both players. Births *1917 - Buck Jordan, infielder (d. 1993) *1938 - Ron Herbel, pitcher (d. 2000) *1858 - Art Whitney, infielder (d. 1943) *1870 - Jimmy Collins, infielder (d. 1943) *1891 - Ferdie Schupp, pitcher (d. 1971) *1910 - Dizzy Dean, Hall of Fame pitcher (d. 1974) *1934 - Jim Owens, pitcher *1954 - Dave Stapleton, infielder *1957 - Steve Balboni, infielder *1966 - Jack McDowell, All-Star pitcher *1970 - Ron Villone, pitcher *1975 - Lee Gardner, pitcher *1977 - Colter Bean, pitcher *1978 - Alfredo Amezaga, infielder *1980 - Albert Pujols, All-Star infielder Deaths *1965 - Jimmy Williams, infielder (b. 1876) *1977 - Baby Doll Jacobson, outfielder (b. 1890) *1985 - Ken Chase, pitcher (b. 1913)